This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Many vehicles are equipped with structures identified as axle assemblies for supporting rotatable wheels. Some axle assemblies, such as drive axle assemblies, include a number of rotatable components operable to transmit power from an engine of the vehicle to the wheels. The rotatable components of the axle assembly are typically enclosed in an axle housing. The axle housing may include a central enlarged or banjo portion for receipt of a rotatable ring and gear assembly as well as a differential mechanism. The axle housing typically includes a pair of outwardly extending tubular portions integrally formed with the central portion. Previously known examples of axle housings include hollow cylindrical steel tubes that are fixed to the central portion by welding or other mechanical means. Other axle housings may be formed by interconnecting two “C” shaped middle members to one another by a transversely extending set of welds.
The axle housing typically also includes a pair of mounting flanges fixed to outboard ends of the outwardly extending tubes to provide mounting provisions for components such as brakes. It is also common for a seat comprised of one or more individual components to be fixed to the axle housing tubes for interconnecting the axle assembly and a vehicle body by a suspension system that includes springs. Springs have been useful to interconnect a vehicle frame with an axle housing to isolate the vehicle body/frame from loads imparted to the wheels as the vehicle travels.
While previously implemented spring seats may have satisfactorily functioned in the past, strides may be made to improve the robustness of the axle assembly and suspension by minimizing stress concentrations imparted by the design and manufacturing processes such as welding. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved spring seat and axle assembly manufacturing process for providing a robust axle assembly exhibiting increased fatigue life.